Linux - THE Guide (Linux in general)

Name: rob_writer

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Product:	Linux in general
Date:	29.03.01 (399 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Not Windows, fun and challenging

Disadvantages: Not Windows, difficult to use

Linux. The chances are you've heard the name, a few of you may know a little more about it, but to the majority of users Linux is nothing more than myth. You've may have heard its better than Windows, more stable and reliable, but where do you get it from and what does it do?

Just incase you don't have a clue; here’s a basic guide to what Linux is.

What is Linux?
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Linux is an alternative to Microsoft Windows. This means when you turn on your PC you won't see the Windows screen, instead Linux will load. I know this may be a shock to some of you because the sad truth is that not many people realise that Windows is simply one thing your PC can run. Windows has achieved such a saturation of the market that the majority of users think of Windows as an integral part of their PC, not just one of a number of options. The situation is getting worse; I just wonder how many users do not realise that there are alternatives to Internet Explorer.

So what is Linux? Well in its simplest form Linux is a simple text based environment, very similar to DOS. If you don't know what *DOS* is, click the Start Menu, Programs then MS DOS Prompt (Oh, and by the way if your stuck type exit to return to Windows). If this puts you off Linux is not for you but the chances are most users who consider using Linux will be pretty familiar with DOS.

Of course Windows was (and some say still is) heavily based on DOS and just like Microsoft developed Windows for the DOS environment, people have developed graphical environments for Linux.

**NOTE**

DOS stands for Disk Operating System, the text based environment, which was the predecessor of the Microsoft Windows range. Even today elements of DOS survive in Windows, although the next version of Windows (dubbed XP) should finally do away with all remnants of DOS.

*********

This leads me on to the first major differences between Lin
ux and Windows. While Microsoft charge you for Windows, Linux is free. Linux has what is known as a GPL (General Public License) which means it is free for everyone.

To understand why we need to know a little of the history of Linux.

History
-------

Linux was written by a Norwegian Linus Torvalds, at the University of Helsinki in Finland. Although he started work in 1991 the first full release of Linux (version 1) was released in 1994. The latest version of the Linux kernel is 2.4 and was released in January of this year.

Linux was released under the GNU General Public License, which means that basically everything is free. The source code to any software under the GNU General Public License must be made available, so the opportunity for tweaking and writing programs are great.

Linus Torvalds chose the penguin as the Linux mascot, as he thought it embodied what his project stood for (although what a penguin stands for I do not know).

Just incase you wondered, Linux is pronounced LIH-NUCKS. Others call it LIN-ICKS but I prefer the original pronunciation.

The Differences
---------------

So how does Linux differ from Windows? Well the fact that it is free means a lot is different.

Microsoft make Windows, they design it, produce it and sell it. Linux comes in MANY different versions from different companies. They are all based around the same core but come with different programs and may be designed for different uses. Linux is very versatile and it can be used for any computing task known to man. It has similarities to UNIX so can be used on servers and main frame computers, it can be used on a stand alone workstation and can be configured to work as a firewall, and just about anything else you can think of.

Each version of Linux uses the same basic kernel.

Chances are you've used DOS before, so how does the basic Linux command environment compare?
<
br><br>It follows roughly the same structure and uses some of the same commands, although there is enough difference to make it tricky to begin with.

Whereas DOS is based on drives (the hard drive is traditionally called C:, the floppy A:, CD-ROM D: etc), the whole Linux system is based around the root, denoted as /. This can be thought of as a little like the C: drive, but rather than changing to a different drive for your CD's they are mounted on to the root. Drives are mounted to /mnt/nameofdrive. In addition to this things like modems are also mounted in to the root system, modems are located at /dev/modem.

Command wise Linux is quite similar to DOS and after a while the file system begins to make sense.

But for the average Windows user the average Linux system is very different. Firstly you have to log on to use Linux, every system must have a root user who has control over every detail. However every good Linux users know that they can wreck their Linux system when logged in as root, so for day-to-day usage it is much better to use another user. Depending on which distribution of Linux you have, after start-up you may see a command prompt or a graphical user interface (GUI) like KDE or GNOME.

These are not a native part of Linux like the GUI is in Windows. These are add on programs made by third party developers that run on a common X11 Windowing system. KDE is in the lead at the moment, but GNOME is quite good too. Both try to mimic Windows, which personally I don't think is a good thing. People using Linux have moved away from Windows, so a slightly different GUI wouldn't be a problem.

Both KDE and GNOME work like Windows, but they have novel features that Windows lacks. For example, you have multiple desktops. When one becomes cluttered you can start a new desktop, or keep certain things in each. Because the majority of Linux programs are distributed free the majority of Linux distributions come
with two CD's packed with loads and loads of programs, from games to programming tools.

I can't possibly describe the whole of Linux here; all I can say is try it. For details of how to try to Linux with ease, see the Linux4Windows section later on.

Should I Use Linux?
-------------------

First of all a few words of warning. Linux is complex, when you are used to the ease of use of Windows starting using Linux is a nightmare. A background in DOS helps but even this won't prepare you for the challenge that is Linux. I used DOS based PC's for years before I got Windows so I thought Linux wouldn't be too hard, needless to say I was wrong! For this reason I have to say that if you are an inexperienced PC user then Linux isn't for you. It has come a long way in recent years and is now an option for the majority, but if you're the type of person who buys your PC from PC World and can't tell a file from a folder then I'm afraid Linux is not for you (no offence intended, we all have to start somewhere and trust me, it isn't worth the hassle!).

A lot of the die-hard Linux fans are also members of the anti Microsoft club. This could be down to a number of reasons which include:

- Windows is slow and unstable. While you may think that your current PC runs Windows slowly because it is old it also has something to do with the way Windows is written. Every PC will be faster using Linux than Windows. Linux is also much more stable than Windows, i.e. put simply Linux crashes a LOT less.

- Microsoft’s domination. Lets face it, Microsoft rule the computer world. And the way they have gone about this isn't exactly what everyone would call moral. Anti trust court cases and everything else haven't made Microsoft a lot of friends.

- Commercialism. Bill Gates is very (too?) rich. And yet he charges us £80 for a Win ME upgrade which is basically Win 98 SE with a few add
ons, most of which are downloadable for free.

Surprisingly I do not agree with these people. Microsoft have done a lot for the PC industry. Their easy to use software has brought computing to the masses and that has to be a good thing.

Linux is improving in terms of ease of use all the time, but it still lags a long way behind Windows. Infact if you are not happy with partitioning your hard drive and even formatting before you install then Linux may not be for you. A few of the latest versions of Linux attempt and succeed in making it very easy to install Linux, the only problem is that most people (me included) are left lost when we first get there.

Basically you have to think of a few things before you take the plunge.

- Why Do I Want To Use Linux?

The may be because you're a member of the anti Microsoft crowd, because you want to have a change, because you have to or just for sheer sake of it. A lot of my friends are learning Linux as they plan to study Computer Science at University and a lot of that is Linux based. Personally I was just curious, a little sick of the way Windows crashed when put under any strain. Is there really a reason for wanting to install Linux? Or are you just doing it for the sake of it? If you are then decide if it will be worth it. I thought it was and although a lot of frustration I don't regret it.

- What if things go wrong?

What if you accidentally type the wrong thing, have a disaster of just get stuck. The only solution may be to FDISK the hard drive followed by a full format and reinstall of Windows. Can you do this? If not, then you're taking a big risk.

Can't decide if you want to use Linux? Then fear not, there is a system called Win4Linux which allows easy installation of Linux on to your

Win4Linux
---------

Re-partioning your hard drive, formatting etc. is a big undertaking. The people who make the Linux distribut
ions are aware of this so created a way of making Linux install on a normal Windows (FAT/FAT32) partition. It creates a Linux directory (or folder for the newbies) on the hard drive and creates an image file there on which it installs Linux. To be fair to Linux this needs to be about 2Gb so it ends up being one big file! There are speed implications in doing this and when you have run a normal version of Linux of its own partition you can notice the slowdown. It is, however, a good way to try Linux for the beginner.

It should be noted that only certain distributions of Linux have this win4linux option. Mandrake does, as does Red Hat and Corel (I think) but check the website first if this is what you want to use.

So How Do I Try Linux?
----------------------

It should be noted that there is not one boxed copy of Linux that you can go out and buy. For a start there are around a dozen major distributions of Linux, made by people like Corel, Mandrake, Red Hat and Slackware. The distributions are all pretty similar but can differ in the way they install. The best installer can rival Windows, while the worst is very, very bad. Some distributions are better suited to different tasks and certain duties, but most of the major distributions are suitable for a normal home PC.

There are two main ways to get hold of a copy of Linux.

1. Buy It
---------

SHOCK HORROR!!! Personally I hate to pay for anything, let alone something I can get for free. But Linux is sold in shops and there are advantages to paying for it. First of all you get a lot of help, in the form of written manuals. These can be of a real help when you're PC won't work!! There are also tutorial CD's, telephone support etc. They are cheap too, weighing in at around £30-£60 but to be honest, I would rather download my version for free.

2. Download it!
----------------

Due to the public license that Linux is released un
der, it can be gotten for free. To do this you will need two things, firstly a modem (and some unmetered net access) and secondly a CD-Writer.

The majority of the companies who make distributions of Linux make them available for download from the website. Sometimes this is just a basic version, and often the retail package has some extra features. But to be honest, you won't miss these extras. The standard downloadable package comes in two CD images, usual in the ISO format. These weigh in at about 600Mb each and you do need both of them. This works out at 1.2Gb.

Doing the sums, assuming an average transfer 4.5 K/s (which you should get on a fast server).

In one minute that makes 60 x 4.5 = 270 K

Therefore in one hour 270 x 60 = 16200K or 16.2 MB

That means that a 600Mb file will take

600 / 16.2 = 37 hours

Now you may say that is too much to download on a 56K modem, but there is one thing on your side.....Get Right. This is a great download manager that will resume partial downloads, but it also can be set to automatically reconnect when disconnected and turn off the computer when finished.

What I did was to leave the computer on overnight, and make it turn itself off in the morning. If I started at 11pm at night, and downloaded constantly until 7am that is 8 hours per day. This means that the whole two CD images can be downloaded in about 10 days.

Of course, if you don't have a CD-Writer it is pointless, and you better have unmetered net access or the phone bill will be BIG.


I haven't had experience of every single distribution, but I have used a few. Here is what I recommend.

Corel Linux
-----------

For the true newbie, Corel Linux is as close to 'easy' Linux as you can get. Or at least the installation program is. The problem is that Linux is not an easy operating system, and I have heard of a massive number of people who have
installed Corel Linux and then been stuck as to what to do next.

Still, a good starting place.

www.linux.corel.com (A breeze at only 360Mb)

Mandrake Linux
--------------

My current choice of distribution, Mandrake in my opinion is a great compromise between ease of use and function. It is an option for either the advanced user or the beginner. Installation can be as complex or easy as you like depending on how much you know, and it really is easy to use.

www.mandrake.org (2 CD ISO's)

Red Hat Linux
-------------

The Linux used by professionals, and Universities. A lot if my friends are learning this to prepare for University, and after having tried it I can say that is good. I just prefer Mandrake.

www.redhat.com (2 CD ISO's)


There we go, a monster guide to Linux. Hope you like it, and I hope if nothing else you realise there is a viable alternative to Windows.

Summary: